SOLDIERS FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

Taihape Daily Times, 27 June 1919, Page 5

SOLDIERS FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

NOT A WAR GRATUITYA

SOME M_I[SAPPREHE§N7S[ON~Si EX» PLAINED.

F ; WELLINGTON, this day. A recent announcement respecting the extension of the Soldiers’ Financial Assistance Regulations has apparently given room to a good deal of misapprehension. ' Num‘.erous ‘soldiers and their dependants have cons-idered themselves in applying for the “bonus”; some have interpreted it as being in lieu of the war -gratuity. ~ As a mater of fact, the regulations have no relation whatever to the re trospective married allowance or the war gratuity. In order to give legal form and authority to the new proposals extending the Soldiers’ Financilal Assistance Board’,-‘s powers, ‘it was necessary to use the term ‘bonus" in the regulations and to technically define the Soldiers’ Financial Ascsist.ance Board as a “Military Service Board.” But it thsould be rnadc clear that the Military Servica. Boards, -as generally understood, have ceased their functions, alld have nothing to do with soldiers’ financial assistance, and:-llso that the grantsfwhich may be made by the Soldiers’ Financial Ass‘.-strnce Board are notidentical with the proposed war gratuity allowance now? in process of payment by the oflicer in charge of war expenses, Wellington. Applications for retrospective financial assistance should be sent only to the secretary, Soldiers’ Financial Assistance Board, Panama Street, Wellington. ,

Where a previous application has been. made, there is no need for another application form ‘to be completed, ‘and the request should be made by letter only. The Board desires to emphasise its policy that only under-5 ver‘y'e'x'ceptional eircufnstances will cases be reopened in which la ‘gr'an‘t has been paid, and draws attention to ‘the real object of the regulations which is to admit‘ applications from men who were "ser‘vin'g sabroa<li when the regulations were g'azette'd," on ' the 16th '.Tanuary', 1917, and who, on their return find themselves faced with aecunrulated liabilities fivhich they could not meet outof their military pay and other sources of income. The Boa.r.d’s' extended powers now enable it. to consider these late applications and to give the same assistance as it would have provided if the soldier or his I'epresentati\/e had subnlit"r,c-d an [application {when fthe financial assistance scheme was inaugurated. '